Her soft tongue pressed against his lips and teeth, sliding past before he could catch it, then withdrawing.

Li Ye raised an eyebrow, slightly dissatisfied, and gripped her waist, pressing her against himself: “What mischief are you up to?”

Spitting the red pill into her palm with a “pah,” Er’er wiped the corner of her mouth and glared at him. “You’re such a powerful Supreme God, yet you have no caution at all? You’ll eat anything anyone gives you?”

Her cheeks were puffed up; she seemed genuinely angry.

Li Ye leaned back against the door with half-closed eyes, his thumb caressing the dimple at her waist, with a half-smile: “Zhu Yan wouldn’t harm me.”

“How can you be so sure?” Er’er frowned deeply. “In this world, even brothers fight amongst themselves. You’re neither family nor kin to him, so why do you trust him so much?”

“If he wanted to harm me, he would have done so long ago,” Li Ye said. “There’s no reason to choose this moment.”

A nameless fire rose within her heart. Er’er stomped her foot: “Do you trust him or me?”

This question sounded like a young girl’s coquetry. On this battlefield, Li Ye certainly had no intention of engaging in flirtatious banter, but he found her anger rather charming.

…

…

So he tilted his head to tease her: “Naturally, I trust him.”

Er’er was speechless with anger. She slapped his chest and struggled free from his grip, intending to leave.

Li Ye reached out to stop her, saying with a straight face: “You haven’t returned the water-avoidance pearl to me yet.”

Her throat tightened. Er’er turned her head with reddened eyes and forcefully shoved the red pill back into his hand: “Here, here, all yours! Eat it if you want, be deceived if you wish, I won’t care about you anymore!”

Closing his hand over the red pill, along with capturing her entire person, Li Ye raised his eyebrows: “Is it that serious?”

She had been able to jest before, but now she was suddenly so agitated.

This remark only made the little one’s eyes redden even more. Before long, tears fell. Her fine eyebrows drooped, and the tip of her nose also turned red: “I’m looking out for you, but you won’t listen. That Zhu Yan has been deceiving you all along. What Ji Ji? What Heaven’s Diviner? He merely wants to use your hand to stir up heaven and earth. He hides behind, facing no danger, but if something happens to you, who will care? To give you a water-avoidance pearl at this critical moment, it would be better to throw it away than to eat it. You’re so intelligent, why are you so stubborn about this?”

As she continued, she cried harder, tears falling drop by drop. Li Ye was somewhat stunned, his fingers touching her cheek with a hint of helplessness: “It’s just one bead…”

“What if it’s poisoned? What if it can damage your essence?” She wailed with an open mouth. “Why won’t you believe me…”

How could he believe what she was saying? Li Ye was quite helpless, using his fiery red sleeve to wipe her tears bit by bit.

He didn’t know where this little one had heard such rumors. Although Zhu Yan was his confidant, if he wanted to manipulate him, that would be overestimating himself. After all, Zhu Yan merely had an old grudge with the Heaven’s Diviner. Following him for so many years, wanting Li Ye to take revenge for him was understandable.

Li Ye didn’t think Zhu Yan was wrong, but he was truly distressed by her crying. He could only comfort her softly: “Alright, I won’t eat it. You can keep this red pill as a necklace.”

Hearing his casual tone, she knew he hadn’t taken her words to heart. Er’er felt utterly desperate, tugging at his sleeve and crying so hard she couldn’t catch her breath. Then her head was gently rubbed and pressed entirely into his embrace.

“The chaos outside will continue for a long time,” he said softly. “If you want to stay with me, you can’t always be crying.”

“Then you can’t always refuse to believe me,” Er’er said in a muffled voice. “I’m very capable. It wouldn’t hurt you to listen to me once in a while.”

His chest vibrated as if he were laughing. She noticed it and pressed her forehead against him in frustration.

But she also calmed down.

Resting against his chest, Er’er thought, since everything couldn’t be stopped by a small immortal like her, at least she shouldn’t let the situation become as terrible as in her dream.

Li Ye would never stop believing in Ji Ji’s existence. She had no evidence to prove Zhu Yan was lying, so she would stop trying to persuade him. She would just wait and see what ultimately angered him so much that he closed heaven and earth back together.

Prying his hand open, she took back the red pill and examined it carefully for a moment. Unable to see anything unusual, she tucked it into her pouch.

As the Netherworld and Nine Heavens went to war, various demons and divine beings rushed toward the Nine Heavens, though some journeys were far and others near. The battle situation changed rapidly. By the time the Taihe Immortal Sect arrived at the Ten Directions Cloud Sea, Gen Qi had already lost an arm.

“Ultimately, it’s like a mantis trying to stop a chariot,” Taihe sighed deeply at the hellish scene before him. “In hindsight, it would have been better to let her stay put.”

“Taihe,” Chu Yuan arrived on a cloud, stopping him with a weary face. “You should go back quickly.”

“Why?” Taihe asked, puzzled. “Didn’t the Heaven’s Diviner issue a summons for aid?”

Hesitating, Chu Yuan shook his head: “He certainly isn’t seeking aid from your immortal sect.”

His precious disciple was still by Li Ye’s side, and she was the one who had led the ghosts and demons up to the Nine Heavens. Who here would consider the Taihe Immortal Sect an ally?

A flash of understanding crossed Taihe’s eyes, and he sighed: “My little disciple is not a rebellious person.”

“I believe you, but they won’t,” Chu Yuan shook his head. “We’ve been friends for many years, old brother. Leave quickly. If others see you, even I can’t protect you.”

Meng Wan frowned and stepped forward with cupped hands: “Supreme God, how is my junior sister?”

With complicated expression, Chu Yuan forced a smile: “Of all people, she’s the least you need to worry about. With Li Ye protecting her, who could harm her?”

“But…” with a hint of severity in his eyes, Chu Yuan shook his head, “if she continues to be obsessed, after this battle, there will be no place for her in heaven or earth.”

“…” Meng Wan lowered his eyes, gripping the scabbard of his sword tightly. Taihe did not react, even swaying his whisk in front of Chu Yuan, “Don’t frighten the youngsters.”

Chu Yuan looked at him with exasperation: “I wrote to you early on to discipline her, but you didn’t listen. Even if she’s a likable girl, you shouldn’t have indulged her to this extent.”

Taihe stopped responding, only smiling and flicking his whisk. Just as he was about to take his leave, he saw a group of celestial soldiers surging from the distance.

“Supreme God Taihe,” Zhen Huan Gong bowed to him with cupped hands. “The Heaven’s Diviner requests your presence.”

Chu Yuan’s expression changed, and he moved to block the way, saying to Zhen Huan Gong: “You move quickly. I was just looking for you.”

As he spoke, he kept his hand behind his back, making gestures to Taihe.

Run quickly.

Taihe saw it, but he had so many disciples following him. If he ran, what would happen to these children?

So he merely smiled, nodded to Zhen Huan Gong, and followed the celestial soldiers toward the Gate of Heaven.

“Master?” Meng Wan frowned.

Taihe waved his sleeve, transmitting through soul communication: “Go, and if you can’t escape, find your junior sister.”

What kind of instruction was this? Meng Wan’s face turned pale.

They had come to heaven to subdue the ghosts and demons, but before even seeing any ghosts, they were detained by the people of the Nine Heavens. Going to find his junior sister now, wouldn’t that be defecting to the enemy?